Microswitch devices are used in a wide variety of applications. Depending on the application, the microswitch devices may be simple on-off type switches, a normally open type switches, a normally closed type switches, or any other type of switches. In many cases, the microswitch devices include a housing that encloses the switching mechanism, and terminals that protrude out of the housing. The terminals are often of the screw terminal type, spade terminal type, or a tab terminal type.
During use, a microswitch device is often mounted to a printed circuit board, a housing or some other object within a host device. Lead wires of the host device are then connected to the protruding terminals of the microswitch device. In many cases, the wire leads of the host device are screwed, soldered, welded, or otherwise attached to the terminals of the microswitch device. In some cases, a connector is first attached to the end of each wire lead, and the connector is slid on or otherwise attached to the protruding terminals of the microswitch device. In addition, an insulation barrier is also often provided over or around the connection between the protruding terminals and the lead wires to reduce the chance of a short or other interference caused by the connection. As can be appreciated, the time and cost of connecting the lead wires of the host device to a microswitch device can be significant. Also, if the connection is not properly made, the reliability of the host device may be reduced. Therefore, what would be desirable is a microswitch device that can be assembled into a host device relatively quickly and reliably.